We’ve talked before about marketing yourself offline and events are an excellent way to introduce potential customers to your products or services. We’ve complied a quick list of best practices for event planning newbies. With proper planning and marketing you can throw a killer event your customers will be talking about for months to come.

Here are our 7 tips for throwing a successful event:

Set A Budget and Stick to itEvent costs add up rather quickly. Before you pick a venue and decide on what food or drinks you’ll be providing for your guests, set a firm budget. The secret here is not getting carried away and spending more than you planned. Having a budget set before you make plans will help you to make wise decisions to make the most of the money you have. (Don’t forget to include marketing expenses!)

Plan Around HolidaysAs you start planning your event be sure to plan around major holidays and large events related to your industry. By avoiding major holidays and busy times in your industry, you will be more likely to get an excellent turnout. It will also help you to stay within your budget as many vendors charge more during popular times.

Have a Clear Purpose for Your EventDon’t have an event just because. Events are really only effective when they have a clear purpose for your company and your attendees. Communicate the event’s purpose clearly to your team and your invitees. If the event is educational, tell your invitees what they will learn. If it is a benefit, explain how the funds will be used. If it is more of a meet and greet or open house, let them know what type of food, drink and entertainment they can expect. Having a clear purpose and goal in mind will lead to a more successful event.

Plan to MarketAre you planning on using Facebook, email, direct mail or all of the above to create awareness of your event? Creating a marketing plan for your event needs to be part of the planning process, not an afterthought. If you are focused on your current customers, a mailer or direct mail may be the way to go. If you are looking to attract new business, Facebook ads, Google ads and PR can be much more effective at boosting your RSVP count.

Plan One WOWYears down the line most of us won’t be able to recount what we ate or drank at a particular party. Don’t be like everyone else. Plan to have one big WOW that guests won’t be able to stop talking about. This can be a funny video you have made, a great gift or a unique activity.

Create an Online RSVPBuild a form on your website and allow people to register for the event online. Online registration makes it easy for them and for you! Additionally, having an online form will allow you to easily export a spreadsheet of those who have registered to create name tags, place settings, etc.

Practice Your SpeechSo you’re running the show day of? Make sure that you’ve rehearsed, rehearsed and rehearsed. Did you rehearse? Ok good. This is your big moment, you want to show yourself as an expert and one of the best ways to do so is to not be fumbling over your words while you’re on stage.

Get out there and get people interested in your business! Throwing an event is a great way to market yourself. If you need any help planning your event, schedule a consultation today.